Advancement in the Primordial Realm

Xuanbao stood there, gazing in the direction where the God of Destiny and the God of Cause and Effect had disappeared, the smile on his lips gradually fading.

"For the next ten thousand years, those top-tier Chaos Gods will be too preoccupied to attend to the Primordial World..." He murmured, repeating the sentence over and over, his fingers lightly tapping his knee. "What exactly are these two old monsters plotting by offering such generous terms?"

Bai Lu walked to his side, a hint of worry in her eyes: "Then what should we do?"

"What to do? Just deal with it." Xuanbao grinned.

"Life is like that, you can't fight it, so just enjoy it."

"Since they're willing to be our free bodyguards, we can't let their kindness go to waste. Let's just do what we need to do. Once we've developed our strength stealthily, even if they turn against us later, we won't be afraid."

Bai Lu remained silent for a moment, saying nothing more. She knew that although Xuan Bao seemed carefree on the surface, he was more perceptive than anyone else. Since he said he was fine, she would believe him for the time being.

However, Xuanbao was not as relaxed as he appeared.

The words of the Fate Demon God, "Your destiny is shrouded in mist," and the words of the Cause and Effect Demon God, "Your very existence is a huge paradox of cause and effect," pierced his heart like two thorns. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary transmigrator; how did he get involved with the Chaos Demon God? Could it be that he truly harbored some secret that even he himself was unaware of?

"Forget it, there's no use thinking about it so much." Xuanbao shook his head, putting these distracting thoughts behind him. "The most important thing right now is the advancement of the Primordial World."

……

A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For mortals, this represents the rise and fall of dozens of generations; for cultivators, it is merely a slightly longer period of seclusion; but for the entire prehistoric world, this thousand years is equivalent to the development of countless eons in the past.

With the tacit approval of the God of Fate and the God of Cause and Effect, the top-ranking giants in the Chaos were indeed as if held down by an invisible hand. Although they continued to fight each other, they never turned their attention to the emerging Primordial Wilderness. Occasionally, a few low-ranking Chaos Gods who were oblivious to the dangers and tried to approach the border of the Primordial Wilderness would encounter various unexpected accidents—either being swept away by sudden bursts of chaotic turbulence, or being chased by powerful ferocious beasts passing by. Some even lost their minds and began to kill each other when they got close to the Primordial Wilderness.

The riot had secretly sent back a message that he had personally witnessed a demon god at the sixth level of the Saint Realm in the chaos. When the primordial world was still three years away, the demon god suddenly seemed to be bewitched by some power, turned around and crashed straight into a void vortex. Without even struggling, the demon god was torn to pieces.

When Xuanbao heard the news, he merely smiled slightly and said nothing more. He knew that this was the Fate Demon God and the Karma Demon God fulfilling their promise. Although those two old monsters were unpredictable, at least for now, they were indeed buying time for the Primordial World.

Xuanbao did not waste these precious thousand years.

Under his leadership, the "World Hunting" movement in the primordial world entered an unprecedented climax. Tens of thousands of hunting teams ventured deep into the chaos, sweeping through all the worlds along their path like locusts. Small worlds, medium worlds, and great worlds—anything that could be captured was refined into primordial essence and injected into the primordial world.

The World Tree has experienced explosive growth over the past millennium. The nine great worlds have been completed on its trunk, and it has successfully transformed into a Chaos Spiritual Root.

The primordial world itself underwent earth-shattering changes during this process.

The concentration of spiritual energy increased more than tenfold, and the air was filled with visible spiritual mist. Taking a deep breath, one felt refreshed and invigorated, and even the bottleneck in one's cultivation seemed to loosen. The vegetation on the ground grew exceptionally lush, with ordinary weeds shimmering with a spiritual light, and some spiritual roots and herbs growing like madmen, their age increasing at a visible rate.

More importantly, the laws of the primordial world began to become clearer than ever before.

Those previously obscure and difficult-to-understand paths of the Great Dao now seem to have been wiped clean by an invisible hand, clearly displayed before every cultivator. Cultivators who had been stuck at their bottlenecks for many years broke through during this period—the number of Great Luo Golden Immortals increased several times over, Quasi-Saints were no longer rare, and even several peak Quasi-Saints appeared.

Everyone could sense that the primordial world was undergoing an unprecedented transformation.

And that day has finally arrived.

It was an ordinary day. There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no deafening roars, not even the slightest sign. Xuanbao, who was playing chess with Bailu in the Heavenly Garden, suddenly stopped placing a piece.

He felt the whole world tremble slightly.

The tremor was extremely slight, so slight that if he hadn't reached the peak of the seventh level of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. But after that tremor, the spiritual energy of the entire primordial world seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, and began to circulate in an unprecedented way.

In the sky, the clouds began to swirl. Not the kind of swirling caused by a raging storm, but a slow, solemn rotation, as if the entire heavens were revolving around a central axis. Within the clouds, countless golden runes could be faintly seen, ancient and mysterious, seemingly originating from the beginning of time, yet also pointing to an endless future.

On the earth, mountains and rivers began to rumble. Not the rumble of an earthquake, but a deep, resonant rumble, as if something deep within the earth was awakening. Fine ripples began to spread across the surfaces of rivers, lakes, and seas, not from the wind, but from the spontaneous pulsation of the water's energy, as if cheering for something.

In the air, the laws began to manifest. Those originally formless and intangible law patterns now outlined faint contours in mid-air—some were golden, some silver, some cyan, some purple… Countless law patterns intertwined, like a magnificent scroll covering the entire world, slowly unfolding.

"They've arrived." Xuanbao put down the chess piece in his hand, stood up, and looked up at the sky.

His voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable solemnity.

Bai Lu also stood up and stood beside him, her gaze meeting his as he looked at the changing sky. She could sense that the very origin of the primordial world was undergoing a profound transformation in a way she had never seen before.

"Is this... world advancement?" Bai Lu asked softly.

"Hmm." Xuanbao nodded, his eyes filled with a hint of expectation and a hint of solemnity. "The Primordial World has devoured the origins of so many worlds and accumulated for so long. It has finally reached the critical point of qualitative change."

He paused, then suddenly grinned: "I wonder what the Primordial World will be like after the advancement."

Before the words were finished, a long, resounding boom suddenly echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

The sound seemed to come from the beginning of the universe, or perhaps from the future, countless eons later. It resounded throughout heaven and earth, pierced through the void, and spread to every corner of the primordial world—whether it was the celestial officials of the heavenly court or the ghost messengers of the underworld; whether it was the dragons of the deep sea or the demons of the high mountains; whether it was humans in bustling cities or mortals in remote mountain villages—all living beings clearly heard that roar.

Then, they witnessed the most spectacular sight of their lives.

The sky cracked open.

It wasn't the kind of crack that's caused by dark clouds obscuring the sun and thunder and lightning, but a gentle crack, like an eggshell being broken from the inside. Golden cracks appeared in the sky, emanating a warm and vast light that fell upon the earth, upon the grass and trees, upon the rivers, and upon every living being.

The moment they were touched by that light, everyone felt a warm current flow into their bodies—not the violent energy that required cultivation and refinement, but a gentle, nourishing force, like the caress of a mother's hand. Those cultivators who had been stuck at their bottlenecks for years felt a sudden boom in their minds, as if something had been cleared, and their cultivation naturally broke through; those cultivators with hidden injuries felt a tingling, itchy sensation at their wounds, and when they looked down, they saw their old wounds healing at a visible speed; those elderly cultivators nearing the end of their lives felt their depleted vitality rejuvenated, as if they had become decades younger.

"The Heavenly Dao... is nourishing the primordial world!" An old Quasi-Saint knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "This is the Heavenly Dao's feedback during the world's advancement! It's recorded in ancient texts! It's true! It's true!"

His words, like pebbles thrown into a lake, stirred up a thousand waves in the vast wilderness.

Everyone understood—the primordial world was undergoing a transformation!

In the sky, the golden cracks multiplied and became increasingly dense, eventually covering the entire firmament like a spiderweb. Then, at a certain moment—

"Click—"

A crisp cracking sound echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

The sky shattered.

Countless golden fragments rained down from the sky, scattering like flower petals. These fragments transformed into pure spiritual energy in mid-air, merging with the天地间 (heaven and earth), making the already abundant spiritual energy even more concentrated. And what was revealed after the sky shattered was a completely new sky—

That brand-new sky was like a piece of crystal washed clean by water, so clear it was breathtaking. There were no clouds, no fog, only a deep and transparent azure, as if one could see through the heavens and reach the edge of chaos. The sunlight streaming down from this new sky was no longer the golden hue of the past, but a warm white with a faint iridescent halo—the light refracted from the origin of a higher realm of the world.

The entire primordial world fell silent at this moment. All living beings looked up at the new sky, feeling the surging vitality and power within their bodies, and an unprecedented realization welled up in their hearts—the primordial world was no longer the same primordial world.

Xuanbao, feeling the refreshed aura of the world, couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. He could clearly feel that the barriers of the primordial world were several times stronger than before, the concentration and quality of spiritual energy had leaped to a new level, and more importantly—the upper limit of the Heavenly Dao's capacity to bear laws had been completely broken.

"Nine saintly positions... have become thirty-six." Xuanbao muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. "That means, from now on, the primordial world can accommodate thirty-six saints at the same time."

Bai Lu stood beside him, her gaze sweeping over the newly transformed land below, and said calmly, "The Heavenly Dao's feedback brought about by the advancement will last for at least another hundred years. During these hundred years, the cultivation environment of the Primordial World will reach an unprecedented level. Those Quasi-Saints who have been stuck at their bottlenecks for many years will probably experience an explosive surge of breakthroughs."

"It's not just quasi-saints." Xuanbao shook his head. "The benefits of world advancement extend to every living being. From mortals to immortals, from immortals to Grand Luo Immortals, from Grand Luo Immortals to quasi-saints—cultivators at every level will not encounter bottlenecks when the world advances. That's the most terrifying aspect of world advancement."

The divine feedback brought about by the world's advancement fell like sweet rain upon every inch of the primordial land.

It was an indescribable and wondrous experience—the entire world seemed to breathe, and with each exhale and inhale, a vast amount of spiritual energy surged forth from the void, merging into mountains and rivers, and seeping into vegetation and soil. Spiritual herbs that would normally take hundreds of years to mature under the nourishment of this feedback force underwent a transformation in just a few days; cultivators who had been stuck at their bottlenecks for years felt their minds clear, the previously obscure and difficult-to-understand patterns of laws becoming clearly visible, and their cultivation rising naturally like spring water breaking through ice.

In just over a month, more than ten veteran powerhouses at the peak of Quasi-Saint level in the Primordial World have touched that once indestructible ceiling.

"So... this is what it feels like to be a saint."

The first to break through was Yuan Feng.

This ancestor of the Phoenix Clan had remained secluded since the ancient Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, entrusting clan affairs to her juniors while she secluded herself beneath the sacred parasol tree in the south to heal her wounds. Her injuries were so severe that she missed several opportunities to vie for the Saintly Throne. But she never gave up, honing her foundation and refining her bloodline day after day, awaiting that opportunity that might never come.

And today, the opportunity has arrived.

As the power of Heaven's feedback surged into her body, Yuan Feng felt a jolt throughout her body. The hidden injuries that had troubled her for countless eons vanished as quickly as ice and snow melting in the spring sun. Her blood was boiling, her primordial spirit was roaring, and the Nirvana fire within her, dormant for countless years, suddenly soared into the sky!

The flames transformed into a colossal phoenix phantom, which spread its wings and soared into the sky, dyeing half of the southern sky a brilliant golden-red. The phoenix phantom raised its head and let out a clear, long cry that pierced the clouds and echoed throughout the primordial world—it was the announcement of a sage's birth, the Heavenly Dao's recognition of the newly ascended sage.

Yuan Feng attained sainthood through enlightenment.

Following closely behind was Yinglong.

This progenitor of the dragon race was also severely injured in the Great Calamity of Dragons and Phoenixes, and has since remained dormant in the Dragon Abyss deep within the East Sea. He is more patient than Yuan Feng, or rather, he understands the value of waiting better than Yuan Feng. For countless eons, he has almost never shown his face, and rarely even inquires into the internal affairs of the dragon race, focusing solely on one thing—enduring.

He tempered his foundation until it was as solid as a primordial rock, and his magical power until it was as vast as the deep sea. When the power of the world's advancement flowed into the East Sea, Yinglong didn't even need to deliberately guide it; his body naturally began to transform—like a sleeping giant finally awakening.

Above the East Sea, the weather suddenly changed. A ten-thousand-foot-long azure dragon soared into the sky from the seabed, its roar shattering the clouds for tens of thousands of miles around. The azure dragon coiled nine times, its aura increasing dramatically with each rotation. After the nine rotations, the oppressive aura of a sage spread out overwhelmingly, causing countless aquatic creatures in the East Sea to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling in fear.

Yinglong attained sainthood through enlightenment.

Then came the Qilin clan chief.

Among the three clans of dragon, phoenix, and qilin, the qilin clan was the most unfortunate. The great calamity of that era nearly broke their backbone, almost wiping them out. The qilin clan chief, one of the few surviving elders of that generation, shouldered the heavy responsibility of reviving the clan, stubbornly holding on until now. His aptitude was actually slightly inferior to that of the phoenix and the dragon, but he still controlled the clan's destiny, and his cultivation had remained stuck at the peak of quasi-saint, unable to take that final step.

But the feedback force from the world's advancement caused his body to slowly rise into the air, radiating a five-colored glow—the auspicious light unique to the Qilin clan. The glow grew brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into a pillar of light that soared into the sky, enveloping the entire Qilin Cliff. Within the pillar of light, the phantom of a five-colored Qilin stood proudly, its four hooves treading on clouds, surrounded by auspicious clouds and mist, exuding an aura of tranquility and solemnity.

The patriarch of the Qilin clan attained sainthood through enlightenment.

The successive attainments of enlightenment by the three progenitors of the three races caused a stir throughout the entire prehistoric world. But what was even more astonishing was yet to come.

The three sovereigns of the human race—the Heavenly Sovereign Fuxi, the Earthly Sovereign Shennong, and the Human Sovereign Xuanyuan—almost simultaneously resonated with the Dao of Heaven.

At this moment, Fuxi's aura underwent a qualitative transformation. He stood up, gazing at the world around him, his eyes seemingly containing the laws governing the universe. He reached out and gently stirred the void before him—and then, the laws of the entire world trembled slightly in response.

Fuxi attained sainthood through enlightenment.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no deafening roars. Shennong stood quietly in the valley, emanating a warm and vast aura. That aura was like a spring breeze sweeping across the earth; wherever it passed, withered grass and trees were revitalized, dried-up streams gushed forth again, and even the air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.

Shennong attained enlightenment and became a saint.

"bass--"

The moment the Xuanyuan Sword was drawn, a golden sword light shot into the sky, cleaving the clouds in two. Within the sword light, countless figures could be vaguely seen—the spirits of humanity's ancestors, those forefathers who had dedicated their lives to the rise of humanity. Their will was concentrated in the Xuanyuan Sword, merging with the aura of Xuanyuan, transforming into a vast and boundless power that soared into the heavens.

Xuanyuan attained sainthood through enlightenment.

In just a few days, six more sages appeared in the primordial world.

But this is not the end.

Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of all earth immortals, finally awaited the opportunity he had longed for at the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. He sat cross-legged beneath the ginseng fruit tree, feeling the power of the Heavenly Dao flowing into his body, feeling the bottleneck that had plagued him for countless eons gradually loosening. He took a deep breath, and his internal magical power surged forth, like a torrent that had accumulated for countless years finally breaking through the dam—

Zhen Yuanzi attained sainthood through enlightenment.

As for Hongyun, he is still a little short, having only just reached the late stage of Quasi-Saint.

Then came the Queen Mother of the West, Kunpeng, and some old monsters who had already joined the Heavenly Court, one after another breaking through that once indestructible threshold.

In just a century, the number of new sages in the primordial world reached an astonishing nineteen.